The Jewish Federation Connecting with Community series presents "Some Puzzles and Solutions in Science and Torah" with Dr. Jon Greenberg, science teacher and agronomist, who will share this illustrated lecture and describe several examples of apparent conflicts between science and Torah that have arisen over the years and show how many of them have been resolved without compromising scientific or religious integrity.

Some of the examples we'll examine are the identity of the Biblical "fruit of a beautiful tree" used on Sukkot, the classification of living things, the structure of the solar system, the tree that Noah used to build his "gopher wood" ark, the source of the huge lumber used to build the Tabernacle, the supposed medical basis of leaning to the left on Passover, and some strange Talmudic food customs and Biblical metaphors related to olive trees.

This free program is part of the Federation’s Connecting With Community Series and will be followed by a kosher hot lunch. Lunch is a $2 suggested donation for adults over 60 years of age or $7 for all others. Advance reservations are required for lunch and can be made by calling (413) 442-2200 before 9 a.m. on the day of the program.